Fire and Ice
by rosefields
Summary: Steve's hurt but none of that maters because there is a storm coming to the snow covered forest and a little girl who is relying on him.
1. Chapter 1

Welcome to Fire and Ice! Short chapter one, then we'll get into it with two coming tomorrow.  
Please read, review and enjoy!  
Rose xx

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Chapter Management

 **January 17th, 8:00pm.** **Wharton State Forest, Exact Location Unknown**

Grace huddled beneath the pile of coats Steve had tucked around her, beginning to shiver.  
"Its alright Gracie. We'll be okay. Everything is going to be fine, alright?" Steve moved around, hunched in to himself to ward off the cold from the roaring wind. First priority was getting some form of block from the howling wind and beginnings of snow. He piled up the large stones around the entrance to their little cave; the entranceway was only a metre or s high, but once inside opened to a taller, wide space. Steve worked to stack rocks and foliage cross the entrance, leaving only a small gap for smoke from the fire he had to get going. That done, he crouched by the firepit he'd set, bringing a match to it. Blowing gently beneath the tinder, the sparks caught and with a few minutes of care, the larger pieces had caught. Steve stacked some of the larger pieces around the edges, hoping to dry them so they'd sustain the through the night.

A small moan broke him out of his stupor. His eyes rocketed over to Danny, lying on the cave floor, tucked under the emergency blanket, Steve's own beanie jammed on his head. He crouched by his friend, running a hand over his head gently, wary of the headwound still there.  
"Danny, can you hear me?" Another moan, then his eyes fluttered open, glazed with pain. Steve didn't have time to ask another question before Danny once again moaned, this time the sound sharp with agony as his hand fluttered towards his covered leg. Steve quickly caught the limb, placing it gently back under the blankets.  
"Don't touch that Danny. Leave it for now. How are you feeling?" Danny moaned once more, before his eyes fluttered shut. Steve sighed, then heard quiet tears. Turning from his patient, he made his way to Grace.

"Scooch over kiddo." He sat himself down, leaning against the cave wall and pulled Grace in close, pulling the coats back over to cover her.  
"Is Daddy going to die Uncle Steve?" Steve ran a hand down her back, pulled the woollen hat back down to cover her ears.  
"Or course not Gracie. He's going to be just fine, and so are you. Get some sleep now, okay?" The small girl nodded, settling into his side. Within minutes, she was out. He waited for another fifteen minutes until he was sure she was deeply asleep, then slid out and gently lay her down, pushing his backpack under her head, smiling as she immediately cuddled up to it. He moved to stoke the fire, glad most of the smoke seemed to be leaving the cave.

Steve looked at Grace, now slumbering beneath the pile of coats, then to Danny. Motionless. And he wondered how the hell things had gone wrong so quickly.

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 **January 15th, 8:00am, The palace, Hawaii…**


	2. Chapter 2

Welcome back!  
I hope you like this, please let me know!  
I have a thing for Steve and Danny dancing while they sing together. Sue me.  
(Also the Braxwitch caves are 100% fictional. Don't try to find them) (:

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hapter Text

 **January 15** **th, 8:00am, The Palace, Hawaii**  
The knock on the door startled Steve out of his stupor.  
"Yeah." He sat up, rotating his shoulders with a satisfying pop.  
"Hey babe, ready to go?" Danny's smile lit up the dimming office, blonde hair slightly askew from the day that had passed. Steve returned the smile, standing and straightening out the papers littering his desk. Danny stepped closer, bringing his hands up to rest on Steve's shoulders, grinning as the taller man guided his own to Danny's hips.

"You're just too good to be true  
I can't take my eyes off you  
You'd be like heaven to touch…"

Steve smiled, looking as if he wanted to laugh but couldn't bring himself to. "Are you seriously singing the Four Season's right now? Oh, I get it. Because we're heading to Jersey. That's real cute Danno." But he didn't attempt to move, swaying as Danny continued singing.

"I wanna hold you so much  
At long last love has arrived  
And I thank God I'm alive  
You're just too good to be true  
Can't take my eyes off you."

Steve took the pause to twirl his partner, quickly brining him back close, enjoying the opportunity to be close. He took over where Danny left off.

"Pardon the way that I stare  
There's nothing else to compare-"  
Before he could continue, there was a cough at the door. The pair whirled around, parting as if burned. Steve sighed as he saw Kono at the door.

"Sorry to interrupt you guys, I was just going to say enjoy your week off, but, ah, it looks like you've already started." She smiled, and Steve could feel colour popping on his cheeks even as Danny laughed.  
"Thanks, Kono, we will." The young woman left, leaving the pair once more alone. "Guess it's time we head off, huh? We need to pick up Grace and our flight our leaves in three hours."  
The two of them had gotten into the office an hour earlier to tie up the last of the paperwork from their last case.  
Steve pulled Danny close once more, placing a quick kiss on his lips. "Let's go."

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 **** **January** **16th, 3:00am, William's Residence, New Jersey**  
Nearly fifteen hours later as it approached nine pm Hawaiian time, the trio of weary travellers disembarked at. Newark Liberty airport. Local time made it nearly three am, and the youngest William's slumbered slung across Steve's shoulder as her father lugged two suitcases (one a small, barbie-mermaid ensemble complete with matching backpack). When the taxi finally pulled up at Danny's parent's house they were near sleepwalking, Danny letting them in with the key hidden in the unscrewed doorhandle. He'd warned his parent's not to wait u, hat their son, his partner and their grandchild would be waiting in bed when they awoke. Leaving their luggage at the base of the stairs, they crept up, Steve gently depositing Grace on her usual bed, tucking her in and kissing her, leaving her father to give his own goodnight. Finally, Danny and Steve tumbled into bed, stripped to boxers and spooned together in the middle of the vast bed.  
Danny felt himself falling asleep, and as his breathing evened out, a breath crossed his ear.  
"Love'ya D'nn."

* * *

Danny woke slowly, a smile sliding across his face as the sun did. The covers were drawn up around his shoulders and there was a warm weight lying on his chest. He looked down, brushing a hand through short brown hair. Despite their respective height, there were few things Danny preferred over having Steve curled up in his arms, the taller man shrinking, wrapped in on himself , arms around Dannys waist with breaths coming through softly parted lips. Danny could lie in that bed forever. But that wasn't the morning for it s was proven when the door cracked. Danny looked up, raising a finger to upturned lips, gesturing the pony-tail-haired girl to slip in quietly.

She grinned, tiptoeing bare foot across the cold wood floor, burrowing in with Danny and pressing icy-soles against his calves.  
"Good Morning Monkey." He drew her close, kissing her forehead and curling and arm around her shoulder, his other continuing it's motion through the still slumbering Steve's hair. It was a marked difference, since they had gotten together, tat Steve slept better. The ex-SEAL used to wake at the drop of the pin, not even feeling safe enough to let his guard down asleep in his own home, constantly alert. But wrapped in Danny's arms, he'd slowly learnt to relax, trust the man beside him to keep guard if only sometimes.  
"Grandma's making pancakes Daddy, can you and Uncle Steve come down because I'm reeeeeally hungry."  
Danny laughed softly, still conscious of the man in his arms. "Tell her we'll be down in a minute, okay?"  
She leapt from the bed, letting a gust of cold air in as she went. "Okay Danno."

Danny refocused his attention on Steve. He was on the cusp of waking, all the movement in the bed breaching the line between sleep and wakefulness. Danny moved his free hand to Steve's jaw, running fingers cross the stubbled growth. He moved to brush gentle lips across the jaw, cheek, lips. Steve's eyes fluttered open, clouded with sleep.  
"Morning gorgeous."  
"Hell of a wakeup." Steve's voice was husky with the dregs of sleep.  
"Mum has pancakes downstairs, along with a little monkey who's waiting for you."  
"I guess we should go down then." Steve mumbled. He paused, burying his head back into Danny's chest. "In a moment."

* * *

By the time Danny and Steve made their way downstairs, dressed in sweatpants and well-worn sweatshirts, Grace was swinging her legs as she sat at the able, syrup coating her hands and face.  
"Daniel!" Clara William's descended upon her son, sweeping him into her arms.  
"Steven." Steve shook Eddie's hands before the senior Williams' swapped, Steve also taken into the matron's arms. The small family sat down, five in the fire-warmed kitchen.  
"Mom, Dad, we have something to tell you." Grace's face lit up, knowing instantly she would no longer have to hold in her favourite secret.  
"Is everything alright?"  
Danny laughed. He gripped Steve's hand under the table and raise their hands to the table. On his finger glinted a ring. Simple and silver with small engraved waves; Steve's held a matching one, the small outline of Highrise silhouettes. Their finger's holding each-other's home, drawn together by the men who's fingers they rested upon.  
"We're engaged."

The celebration was completed with hot chocolate, everyone deeming it far too early for champagne. By eleven am the five were sat comfortably by the fire. Grace with The Magic Far-Away Tree, curled u against the arm of a cushy armchair; upon that sat Steve and Danny, comfortably curled together in a way that shouldn't have been comfortable for two men of their size. Across from them, the Williams parents, eyes for the granddaughter they rarely saw and their son, looking happier than they'd ever seen him.  
Danny finally broke the silence.  
"We're heading to Wharton for two nights. I wanted to show Steve the lookout."  
Clara straightened. "You aren't staying?"  
Danny laughed. "We are Mom, just taking a few nights to ourselves; Grace's never been and Steve'll love it. We'll be back by lunch on the eighteenth and we don't fly back until the twenty third."  
"I guess I can live with that." She sighed, shaking her head, smile betraying her.  
Steve stood, tipping Danny onto the floor with a laugh.  
"Big moron, why'd you do that?" Danny asked, rubbing his hip where he'd landed.  
"We need to pack."  
"No need to push me!"  
Steve crouched. "I'm sorry babe want me to kiss it better?"  
Danny lifted his top, letting the skin just above his navel be seen. "Only if-"  
"Boys!" Both turned to look at Clara, a blush coating her cheeks. "Your daughter is in the room."

* * *

They'd borrowed Eddie's old pickup, a Silverado, like Steve's, but from 1981 with a paintjob to match. Steve loved it. Grace sat wedged between him and Danny, lapping up the snowy forest as it whizzed past.  
"Are we nearly there?" Grace had been getting restless for the last half hour.  
Steve looked questioningly at Danny.  
"Yeah Monkey, we're tuning off just up here."  
Steve nodded and several minutes later pulled the car into a small, unmarked carpark.  
As Grace fastened her backpack, Steve and Dany helped each other with their respective packs, both of the large, outdoor type pilfered from Eddie's shed. Steve pulled out the map, but was quickly shut down.  
"Forget that. Site's five minutes that way. It's getting dark, we'll head to the lookout for lunch tomorrow okay?"

The small family was in bed by eight that night. Grace in the middle of the small tent, her father and Uncle on either side of her. Her even breaths misted slightly, but with the snow sleeping bags and body heat, none of the three were cold.

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 **** **January** **17th, 11:00pm. Wharton State Forest, Braxwitch Caves.**

Steve couldn't sleep. He'd finally sorted all their supplies, unrolling two of the snow sleeping bags and covering each member of his family. Danny's breathing was even, and Grace had stopped shivering. He'd checked his own bandages, making sure they were clean and secure over his abdomen. They hurt too much to unwrap. Steve couldn't sleep. He checked the time; 11pm. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Morning broke, small shards of light had broken through Steve's makeshift doorway. He stood up, stretching out a back which has stiffened during a restless night. He went to Danny first, gently reaching to wake his partner.  
"Danny, come on babe wake up." It took several minutes of gentle cajoling, but finally, Danny's eyes fluttered open. "Morning gorgeous. How are you feeling?"  
Danny moaned softly, and Steve let his hand drift to his dry forehead, stroking gently with his thumb. "I know babe, I know. We need to get out of her yeah? I have a plan."  
"Whaa?" Danny's voice crackled out weakly.  
"There's a hiker's cabin, 'bout a two hour walk from here, all downhill. We can't get back to the car, it's all uphill and I can't…I can't get you there Danny." He hated the weakness, but realistically there was no way he was getting the three of them back up that hill. He took a deep breath. "I'm going to take Grace. I'll set her up at the cabin, load the fire and then I'll come back for you."  
Danny's eyes widened. "No, no'lone. Grace-"  
"-will be fine, Danny. She's brave and strong. I'll make sure she's okay." He looked down, saw the trust and love in Danny's eyes. "I'll be back for you Danny."

* * *

Steve decided to make the preparations before waking Grace. He packed her bag with her book, spare set of clothes and blanket. Then, his own with a first aid kit, food supplies and other bits and pieces he wanted to leave with Grace. It was nearing nine when he got Danny settled. He raised the blonde slightly on his own balled up sweater, tucked him up with blankets and left water in easy reach. Finally, he walked over to wake Grace.

She looked up with big brown eyes as he explained her plan.  
"I need you to be brave Gracie, can you do that for me?" She nodded and he wiped a gentle thumb under the solitary tear falling from her eye.  
"Can I say goodbye to Daddy before we leave?"  
"Of course sweetheart. Take as long as you need."  
She walked over to her father, who cracked pain filled eyes and smiled slightly at Grace.  
"Hey Monkey. I'll see you real soon okay?"  
She nodded. "I love you Danno. Uncle Steve says I'll see you again tonight."  
"Of course you will. Uncle Steve doesn't lie, right?"  
She nodded. "Right."  
"I love you so much baby."

Steve stacked the fire, locked eyes with Danny as he crouched beside him. Before Danny could protest, he pressed a needle into his thigh. There was betrayal in his eyes for only a second, before his body went lax and his eyes fluttered shut. He headed towards the entrance shimmying on his belly to get out, waiting for Grace to do the same. He took her hand.  
"Let's go."

* * *

They'd been walking for an hour and a half when the young girl finally started to sag. Steve was proud she'd gone that long at the pace they'd been walking, through snow and all. He led her to the nearest sheltered tree, brushing off a rock.  
"Sit for a second Grace." He pulled out small chocolate bar, breaking it in half and handing it to her. "Don't tell Danno, okay?" She smiled in return, biting off an end.  
"Can we keep going Uncle Steve?"  
he frowned. "You sure you don't want to sit for a little longer? We-"  
"If I keep sitting, Danno will be alone longer."  
He couldn't bare the look on her face, drew her into a hug. It's all going to be fine Grace." He stood, once more taking her hand.  
"Let's keep going then."

* * *

They made good time and as his watch hit 11:30, he kicked open the door of the cabin. It appeared well stocked, just one room with a small table, chairs, benches, cupboards on one side and a fire with a bed and couch on the other.  
"Sit over there, sweetheart." It took him only minutes to start the fire and there was as tack of mercifully dry wood resting next to it. He spent ten minutes carefully showing Grace how to tend to it, then unloaded his own pack. He stacked food on the bench, took one of the first aid kits and put in in easy reach. Finally, he unpacked the spare blankets and Grace's sleeping bag.  
"Read and sleep, if you can. I'll be back soon, alright. And if you're scared, I want to remember that you are so brave and me and Danno are so, so proud of you."  
"I love you Uncle Steve."  
He smiled, standing and drawing her into a tight hug. He forced himself away, knowing if he didn't leave then, he never would. "I love you too, Grace. So much."

Heart breaking for what he had already left behind and was now leaving, Steve closed the door. It was going to be a long walk back.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi Everyone,  
Chapter three here, thank you so much for all the positivity so far. Sorry this one was a little boring, but it needed to be here. Let me know what you think! Also, a huge thanks for the reader that informed my Australia-addled brain that June is SUMMER in New Jersey...ooops. The dates have now been changed accordingly.  
Rose xx**

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 **January** **17th, 8;00am**. **Wharton State Forest, Byrnside Campground 1E  
** Steve woke slowly, feeling the cold morning air even as warmth pressed against his side. He rolled over carefully, his chest suddenly full of a small girl snuffling gently in sleep. He looked towards his partner-no, _fiancé_ , he reminded himself, giddy. Danny was asleep, hair soft without product for several days, falling softly across his face. Grace had her back to him and the blonde's arm slung over her waist; it would have rested on his own back in the night. Shuffling a little, he sat, pulling a pair of cargos into his sleeping bag and slipping them on over the thermal pants he'd slept in. Carefully so as not to disturb her, he rolled Grace until she was cuddled up to her father and wit freedom to move layered several thin, long sleeve jumpers over his thermal top. As he searched for his gloves in the semi-darkness, he finally pulled his boots on and unzipped the tent ad slipped outside.

Steve took a second to breathe the crisp morning air; the first time he'd seen snow was during the SEALs, but nothing compared with the peace of New Jersey's forest in the winter, as Danny quickly told him. He set about with the fire, years of skills meaning it was gently burning within minutes and he collected wood in various sizes, trying to build it up to a blaze. He had second to enjoy the warmth before he was grabbed from behind. It took him only a second to distinguish friend from foe, the familiar weight of Danny's head in the middle of his back, gloved hands coming to rest around his middle.  
"Mornin'." Danny's accent was thick with sleep. Steve turned, bringing them face-to-face.  
"Hey babe." He offered him a quick kiss, the contact icy in the frozen morning. "So, we going to see this magical lookout today?"

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 **January** **18th, 12:30pm. Wharton State Forest  
** Steve knew he had to get back to Danny as fast as possible; it had been a two-hour journey with Grace so with Danny on a stretcher it would be longer. He forged through the snow, wishing more than ever the second pack hadn't been lost as he shivered. He'd been walking for a half hour, and though he knew he was making good time, the sun would be setting in a matter of hours and there was no way he was letting Danny and Grace spend the night apart. A cough worked its' way up his throat, spitting out with painful gasps. He took precious minutes, couching up phlegm in the snow. When he finally caught his breath ad looked down, he realised what colour the gunk he'd coughed up was. Dark yellow. That was bad. He sighed, standing and now he was aware, could suddenly feel a weight settling into his chest. He checked the time. It was going to take hi at least two and a half hours got get back to the hut with Danny. He couldn't risk Danny being out in the dark, there was too much risk for him getting sick the colder it got. It would be dark by four. With a churning stomach, he realised he had an hour to get back to Danny, at best. Picking up weary feet, he turned in the right direction, and started jogging.

Forty-five minutes later, Steve could see the cave and relief flooded his pours. The jog had been hell; his chest was getting heavier, each step pulled at the aching gash across his stomach and his head was getting fuzzy. He stumbled the last few steps and fell through the entranceway.

For a few seconds, he simply lay there, catching his breath.  
"Steve? S'tha you?" Danny was in pain, that much he could tell. So, stumbling to his feet, he moved to his partner, collapsing on the ground next to him and running his hand down his brow. He noted with relief that it was cool to the touch. "Hey sweetheart. How are you feeling?"  
Danny linked dup at him, eyes glazed over. "Morphine or wha'ever that shit was. Been sc'red shitless for the las' hour." Steve frowned, noting the slur and reaching for another precious morphine phial.  
"We have to get going babe, so I'll give you another." He leaned to the side, coughing. "It's still gonna be rough babe, but hang on alright?" He wasted no time plunging the syringe into Danny's good leg. His eyes lost focus almost immediately.  
"St've, cough. You 'kay?" But as Danny finished his question, his eyes fluttered shut and Steve was saved from answering. It took him nearly five minutes to get ready to leave; taking handfuls of snow he smothered the fire, before packing the last, meagre supplies into his backpack. He worked quickly to re-secure Danny to the sled, re-lashing him as he had the day before. Layers of blankets were secured under the ropes, before the emergency blanket was tucked over in an attempt to keep him dry. Steve pulled the beanie right over Dannys ears, followed by a pair of sunglasses slid on his face and Grace's scarf wrapped dover his mouth. The blonde barely twitched. The next challenge was getting Danny out, he had to deconstruct the barrier he'd painstakingly built during their short stay, until the entrance was once-more wide enough for the sled to get out. Steve took a second to prepare himself, before stepping into the cold, dragging the sled with him.

The first hour was hell. Danny and the sled were getting heavier with each step he took, as was the weight in his chest. The storm was picking up, and if their phones hadn't had signal before there was no way the situation had improved. The only good thing about the amount of snow was the sled glided easily, unimpeded by the rocks no doubt buried feet beneath.

By the second hour, hell no longer seemed to cut it. He couldn't see more than a few metres ahead of him. The snow was heavier, large clumps of power impeding progress rather than aiding them. Worse still, Danny was waking up and they were still a way off the cabin. As he took a step with a particularly strong gust of wind, suddenly, Steve was face down in the snow. He couldn't move for a second, cold pouring in from all the open gaps between his neck and collar, his shirt and pants. It settled deep within his core, cold inside and out and rattled around as he coughed.  
"Steve?" Danny's voice was barely audible over the wind. Gathering his strength, Steve pushed himself to his knees, crawling through the snow until he hovered over the semi-conscious detective.  
"Hey babe. How's it going?" He brought his mouth right down to Danny's ear, hoping to be heard.  
"Cold. Sore. We n'rly there?"  
Steve brought his hand to his face, gripping the finger of his glove with his teeth and pulling before repeating the process. He ran a bare hand down Danny's cheek.  
"I know babe. We'll be there soon, and then you and Gracie can sit by the fire together. As one hand continued across Danny's icy face, the other reached for another auto-injector pen, this time with a sedative. He'd been saving it for the journey, hoping the morphine would keep Danny out for the duration but knowing it would not. Removing his hand from Danny's face, he worked to slide the layers of blankets to the tear in Danny's pants. "This is going to help, alright? Just go to sleep."  
"Wha? Steve?" Danny had no time for further words.

Steve could see the cabin. At least, he thought he could. He wasn't cold anymore. He was hot, uncomfortably so. Danny hadn't moved since he'd been taken into the sedative's hold and every step Steve took with the sled pulling against him and the wind biting seemed heavier than the last. He checked the time, watch face drifting in an out of focus for several seconds before finally clearing. It was half past three. He stumbled forward, but only for a second before he abruptly came to a stop. Looking up, he realised what had happened. He had crashed into the porch of the cabin. And for once, crashing into something wasn't such a bad thing.

The next challenge was getting Danny inside. Luck was, for the first time since they'd set out from the Williams residence, on Steve's side. The stairs to the front of the cabin were snow covered, and Steve wasted little time packing the powder down until a ramp of fashions had been formed. Dragging the sled until it was perfectly aligned with the He leapt up the ramp himself, hissing as the move tore once more at his stomach. Packing the snow once more from the imprints from his feet, he heaved, watching with satisfaction as the sled moved up until the two men were both on the porch. They'd made it.

When Steve opened the door, he was immediately hit by storm of Grace. Bundling the girl inside as he dragged Danny with him. He closed the door.  
"Hey Gracie. Are you okay?" He looked down at her noting with fear there were tears glistening unshed I her eyes.  
"I thought you weren't coming back."  
"Oh Gracie, of course I was coming back." He turned for a second to cough into the crook of his arm. "Let me get Danno settled then we'll have a cuddle okay?" She nodded. "Good girl."  
he quickly moved Danny close to the fire, unlashing him from the sled and replacing damp blankets with dry one scavenged from the cabin's supply. There was more to do, but Danny was stable for the minute nd he had Grace to look after.  
"C'mere Gracie." She launched herself at him and he heaved her into his arms, settling her against him. At nearly nine, she was probably too big to e cradled like an infant, but he wasn't going to let her go. "I'll always come back for you Grace. Always." She nodded against him, but he could feel her flagging, no doubt adrenaline from the last day quickly dissipating now her father and Uncle were there.  
"Why don't we set you up against the fire with Danno and you can have a seep for a bit before Dinner, okay?" He set her down reluctantly but knew his exhausted arms wouldn't have held her much longer. He quickly dragged the small, single mattress from the bed and set it next to Danny, covering Grace with a blanket when he curled up. She was asleep almost immediately.

Steve took a second to look around. Danny was dry and as warm as he could be, sleeping off the last few hours of the sedative in pain-free bliss. Grace was still asleep, curled up by the fire. His knees began to buckle, and he slid down the wall. He was wet, cold once more despite the heat he knew was radiating from him. He needed to check Danny's leg, get something for them to eat. He needed to get out of the wet layer he had and have a look at his stomach. But as his eyes fluttered closed, he didn't fight it. He'd rest, just for five minutes…

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Thanks for reading! Let me know what you thought.  
Rose xx


	4. Chapter 4

Hi Everyone! Apologies for the delay, but I have good new- I got a beta! So a huge thanks to RaySkywalker for all her help with this one! Hopefully the typos will be down to a minimum now. Hope you enjoy and let me know what you thought.  
Rose xx

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 **January 17th, 8;45am**. **Wharton State Forest, Byrnside Campground 1E**

By the time Grace woke, Steve was pouring the last dregs of pancake batter onto the hotplate he'd set over the fire. A small stack lay beside him, covered by an upturned plate.  
The young girl emerged from the tent, gloved hands rubbing sleep-crusted eyes.  
She crouched beside Steve, holding her hands out beside the fire. He flipped the last pancake, golden brown coming up on top.  
"Morning Gracie. How did you sleep?"  
"Good." The word was half formed around a yawn.  
"You awake yet?"  
She laughed as he handed her a plate, flipping pancakes to her as she tried to catch them. He continued to pass out food to Danny before settling with his own breakfast.

By 12 o'clock they had their small camp packed up and they'd made it to the lookout Danny had been jabbering on about since they'd touched down in Jersey. And for once, Steve had to agree with his constant chatter. The place was beautiful. Tall boulders stacked together that overlooked the park on one side and showed a four-metre plunge into a snowy clearing on the other- a river running through it despite the freezing temperature.

They'd sat for half an hour before Grace had stood to go play among the towering rocks, and Steve and Danny had shuffled closer on the small rug they'd laid out. Danny lay across Steve, their arms wrapped around each other and for a while, the only sounds were Grace's occasional laughs. They stood at half past one, starting to strap on backpacks when they heard it. A scream. Piercing and terrified. Danny had shot off towards his daughter before Steve could blink. He followed quickly, freezing when he realised what was in front of him. Grace was cowering on the ground in front of a stock-still Danny and before her towered a bear. Black bears weren't that dangerous, Steve tried to remind himself. They rarely killed people. You just had to back away slowly. Danny knew that too. He looked towards his partner and that was when he knew things were about to go horribly wrong. He could see the look in Danny's eye, all rationality gone and protective father in its' place. He saw Danny prepare to move.  
"Danny no!" With a rush, Danny was forward, running towards Grace and throwing himself in front of her. The movement startled the towering beast and it swiped. Grace screamed as her father was tossed through the air, going head over heels towards the ledge they'd admired on first arrival- Steve heard the thud a second later. Moving slowly was no longer an option, not when there was a scared animal standing over Grace. He leapt forward, taking a hold of Grace and throwing her to the side, putting himself between her and the bear. The bear took a swipe at him as it had Danny, a growl that could be of nothing but fear echoing through the once silent glade as he flew back, the backpack only half strapped on flying further than he had and following Danny over the drop off. The claws were blunt but the rocks he landed on were not and he could feel as his stomach was torn open. There was pain, but nothing could dull the sound of Grace's terror and he stood quickly, shaking off the injury, fumbling for the sidearm he'd precautionarily strapped on. He fired a warning shot next to the creature, the loud sound having the desired effect as the beast scampered. Steve collapsed, breathing heavily for a second before the image of his partner flying over the edge came leaping into mind. He stumbled to his feet and rushed over to Grace, scooped the sobbing girl into his arms.  
"Grace are you hurt?" Even as the words came out he was checking her over, satisfied with her answer in the negative when he completed his check.  
"I need to get Danno, come with me okay?" He held her hand and they rushed towards the old wooden stairway down to the river Steve had seen during lunch, the rickety beams safer than the straight drop Danny had taken to get down.

As soon as they got down Steve could see his backpack bobbing away down the river, but Danny had been luckier with his landing, falling to the bank. He turned to Grace.  
"Sweetheart, I need you to be brave and stay here okay? I'm going to check on Danno and I want you to stay here."  
"But-" He cut her off, hand on her pink cheeks.  
"Be my brave girl now Gracie." She nodded, tear-filled eyes looking up at him.  
"Good girl."

The minute Grace turned away, Steve was racing towards Danny. He tore his gloves off and rested a hand on Danny's neck. A sob welled up and he refused to let it loose as he felt a strong beat beneath his hands. Next was to check for a head injury; he felt over Danny's scalp, finding only a small bruise near his temple. Concussion then, but a quick look at Danny's pupils showed it likely wasn't too severe. He moved further down, there was no noticeable neck or back damage he could feel, nor broken ribs like he'd expected- clearly Danny had been protected by the layers of clothing he was wearing. When he got to his legs, that was where he saw the true damage. The bottom half had a strange bulge. He pulled his knife from his pocket, slicing through the first few layers of clothing. He could see what was clearly a break, but luckily not a compound fracture. He'd need to splint it, then somehow get Danny back to the car. It was then he realised the only way back to the top and carpark wasn't an option, the stairs he would never get Danny up and even then, it was a few hours hike at a brisk pace, with hills and small, rocky paths. They'd never make it. Danny was breathing alright, not bleeding anywhere as far as Steve could tell; he seemed stable.  
"Danny can you hear me? There was no response, so he took his partner's hand. "Squeeze my hands if you can hear me Danny." Again, there was nothing. He took his knife and pressed it to the nail of Dany's thumb, consoled when the hand jerked back reflexively. Unconscious, but not so deeply as to not react to pain.

"Grace, you can come here." The small girl was quick to scamper over, coming to her knees beside her father.  
"He's going to be just fine Grace. I want you to stay here while I grab some things okay?" She nodded, trusting him without question.

The first thing he did was take Danny's pack which had landed next to him, took out the first aid kit, a tarp and map the blonde had been carrying. It was the wilderness kit Steve had put together and Steve was relieved it had been in Danny's pack and not his which was somewhere downstream. He shuffled back to Danny. He set to work inflating the air slit he had in the kit, cut away Danny's thermal pants for a better look at the leg. The break looked clean.  
"Grace, I need to fix Danno's leg, okay? I want you to close your eyes and block your ears for a second?" She did as she was told without question and Steve made quick work of setting the leg. A sharp crack echoes like gunfire and there was a small moan from the blonde. He took Grace's hand and she opened her eyes.  
"He might be waking up sweety. He's going to be pretty sore, so I want you to hold his hand." Danny moaned again, his head starting to move.  
"Uncle Steve I'm scared." He ran a hand across her head.  
"He's okay. And we are all going to be okay. Trust me." She took Danny's hand and Steve moved back to splinting his leg, getting it secured.  
"I need to get him off the snow alright? I'm going to roll him over and I want you to slide this sheet under him." He indicated the tarp and she nodded. He braced Danny's head and hip, hoping the support would be enough.  
"Slide on three, okay?"  
"One, two, three!" He rolled Danny gently, watching proudly as Grace did as asked, sliding the tarp almost all the way under. He hoped he hadn't been wrong about the neck and back. His stomach was burning but he had no time to worry about it. Danny moaned again, starting to shuffle. Steve looked around. They couldn't get back to the car. He was hurt, so was Danny. He was 5,000 miles from the place he knew. And he was scared.

* * *

 **January 18th, 5:30pm. Wharton State Forest, Storm Hut  
** Steve could hear someone calling his name from far off. He tried to ignore it, sleep feeling warm as it wrapped around him.  
"Uncle Steve please wake up." There was only one person in the world who called him that; it was the same person for whom he'd do anything. He forced his eyelids up past the lead-weights that weighed them down, met with dim light and the face of a scared nine-year-old.  
"Grace?" There were tears gathered in her eyes.  
"You wouldn't wake up Uncle Steve."  
In a rush, the last few days came back to him, camping, the accident, Danny- Danny. He sat up; he was resting against one of the cabin walls, having slumped over in his sleep. Relief flooded through him, Danny was in the same place he'd left him, dozing apparently peacefully by the fire which was only just starting to go out.  
"I'm sorry Gracie. I was a little tired. But I'm alright now, I promise." He was glad she trusted him, because the statement couldn't be further from the truth. He stood slowly, a shiver running through him and nearly taking him off his feet. He noticed the still dripping clothes he was wearing and headed for the surviving pack, pulling out a dry tee-shirt and jeans; they weren't warm enough, but until his things dried they would do.  
"Give me a sec to change, alright sweetheart?" She nodded, heading back over to the fire and sitting beside her father. With her back turned, Steve slid off the soaked snow jacket, sodden pullover coming next followed by snow pants. He slid the new clothes over thermals, grateful they, at least, had stayed dry along with his socks. Warmer, Steve took stock of himself. Evaluation: he felt like crap. His stomach throbbed, heat radiating up through his stomach and turning to heavy ice that settled in his chest. His head was foggy, everything a half second ahead of his brain's processing speed. He looked back towards his family, huddled by a dying fire. Crap or not, he would be okay; if nothing else, for them.

Now clothed, he moved back towards Grace and Danny, kneeling on the side of Danny not taken by Grace. The pulse was good, but he could feel the beginnings of a fever as he rested a palm on Danny's head. The movement, or perhaps it was Steve's cold hands, seemed to rouse the blonde, who blinked his eyes open blearily.  
"Danno!" Grace's voice was first, and it dawned on Steve she had not seen him conscious since the save that morning. Danny blinked several times, likely clearing the fuzziness out. Steve saw the exact moment clarity came and the blonde's pale face lit up.  
"Monkey." He lifted a weak arm, encircling his daughter and hanging on as tight as he could.  
Steve heard the second Grace's tears started, he backed away slowly. It was not a moment for him.

While the Williams' sat, Steve set about bring life back to the fire; he knew immediately they would need more wood to get them through the night. They'd need something for dinner, too, or at least Grace and Danny would; he knew he couldn't face food in his stomach. He knelt back with Grace and Danny, who had moved apart and were basking in the warmth of the fire, content, if only for a moment, to simply breath.  
"I need some wood guys, I'll be back soon." Danny looked up, eyes clearer than they'd been for most of the day.  
"You okay? Sure you're up for that?" Steve snorted, leaning down to hug Grace before bringing a hand to the side of Danny's face.  
"You worry too much babe. I'll be right back." He took a second, drew Danny into a kiss, pretending for a moment they were back at Danny's parent's place, resting near the fire. But as he felt a cough rise in his chest, the moment was lost, and he stood, knees creaking with age he hadn't yet reached. He shrugged his jacket back on, shivering as still-damp material came in contact with his body. He stood by the door, took a second to look back before stepping into the darkness.

Steve began to think that they could make the night with the three sticks he had managed to find. He'd taken the old splitter and handsaw resting by the doorframe on his way out, paired it with the torch still in his pocket, but he'd yet to find any trees sheltered enough spared from soaking snows. Stomach aching and ready, perhaps for the first time in his life, to give up, he finally found what he'd been looking for. A felled tree, hidden under protective layers of foliage from the surrounding trees. He looked around, found a place to rest the torch upon and prop the splitter, brought the saw to the trunk and began sawing it into manageable pieces. It took an hour, the blunt saw slipped, and snow began to fall. But finally, he had enough to get them through the night, split it down so it would fit into the fireplace and had the whole lot hauled back to the cabin. He grabbed a load, kicking the door open and began to stack the wood inside where Danny had once more fallen asleep and Grace sat by him, looking up only when the last few logs were stacked by the door. Steve quickly bolted it, removed his jacket once more and hung it up, shivering at the loss of weight as he had been in its' damp confines. A heavy sigh escaped him. The firer needed tending once more, Grace would need something to eat. His head and stomach throbbed in unison as he re-stacked the fire. He searched the cupboards, finding a can of baked beans well within their use-by date. He poured them into a pan and moved to the fire, crouching on his haunches as he stirred the pot. While he wasn't paying attention, Grace snuck up behind him, alerting him only when a small hand rested on his knee. He swivelled quickly, restraining the reflex to punch at only the last second.  
"Ready for some dinner Gracie?"  
She smiled, and Steve was once more in awe of her composure over the last days. "Are we having beans? Danno and I used to have them on Sunday nights."  
"Yep. They'll be done in a second, go grab some gloves so you can hold onto this." She leapt up with the agility only a young girl could pull off, returning seconds later, gloved hands outstretched.

It was only an hour later Danny and Grace lay asleep, side by side. The pot from Grace's dinner had been cleaned and the final leg of their journey had been planned. In the morning, they would make the trek to the nearest road, it would only take an hour, so Grace would come with him and Danny. Steve lay down by the fire, hacked out as much gunk as he could from his lungs before curling himself up by the fire- far enough from Grace that we wouldn't disturb her with coughing in the night. He would rather snuggle into the heat combination  
from her, the fire and Danny, but couldn't justify sacrificing their rest. It was one night, he told himself as the sandman entered, one more night.


	5. Chapter 5

Hi Everyone,  
Sorry this has taken so long; I'm not sure what you guys know about school in Australia but we're coming into one of the busiest times of year over here and I've been practically drowning in assignments. Anyway, here is the new chapter, it's slightly longer than usual so hopefully that makes it worth the wait. I hope you like it and let me know what you think.

Rose xx

* * *

 **January 19th, 6:30 am. Wharton State Forest, Storm Hut**

The night had dragged. Steve hadn't been able to catch a wink of sleep, each time his head nodded down to his chest, a dagger of pain would shoot through his stomach or a cough would force its way out from deep within. Dawn broke softly through the cracks in the mildewy curtains and Steve could wait no longer. He slipped off his boots, hoping moving around with socked feet would allow Granny and Danny just a little more rest. He set about gathering everything into the pack barring what covered his slumbering family. He carefully stacked the tinder and kindling that had dried by the fire in the past day into the bag, piled several logs that were not soaked to tie to the sled. The minute hand ticked over to seven am as Steve finished stirring the pot of ready-made oatmeal over the still smouldering fire. He laid the pot aside and moved to wake Grace and Danny, first gently pulling the young girl from sleep.

Her eyes fluttered open, brown glinting in the early morning light. "Morning Grace. Ready to head home?"

"Uncle Steve are you okay?" No morning greeting, no smile. Something was wrong.

"I'm fine Grace, why?"

"You look sick Uncle Steve, like Danno did when he had the flu last month."

He forced a smile, holding back a cough that threatened to expel itself. "We need to get going, Grace. Have some breakfast while I put the fire out and get Danno outside and ready to go, alright? He deflected the question entirely and she knew it but said nothing.

Grace met Steve outside as he finished securing the sled to himself, wood tied under the tap that covered Danny, the last shot of auto-morphine emptied into Danny's thigh, once more to his objection. Steve reached a hand to clasp Grace's gloved one. He pointed due east.

"We're heading over there, Grace. Everything is going to be fine." They set off, and Steve pretended that he was telling the truth.

 **January 17th, 1:45 pm. Wharton State Forest**

Steve gathered the supplies from the pack. They'd lost the tent, sleeping bags and various other supplies. He kept a small billy but discarded the rest of the cooking items sans the food they couldn't afford the rest of the weight. They had blankets and a first aid kit, five small tarps, a torch and the knives Steve had kept on him. Most importantly, Steve pulled the small map, unfolded it and began planning. They couldn't get back to the carpark; that he'd already established. The closest road that was relatively easy to get to was Jenkins road, but it would be a few days to get there at least. There were caves, Steve noted, maybe a two-hour walk there, probably closer to three or four with Grace and-Danny. He'd need to make a sled of some kind, something to pull Danny along on so as not to worsen his injury. If they got there, they could wait the night out. There was a cabin not far from there, halfway between the caves and the road. Steve looked at Grace, tears gathered in her eyes, at Danny, unconscious and prone. It was their only shot. And Steve had to take it. For his family.

Steve quickly began gathering supplies for a sled; he fashioned to skis from long branches, shaping them slightly with his knife until the would slide well enough. Pulling paracord from his pockets he lashed together a large platform, big enough for Danny to comfortably lie with a few supplies. He padded it with pine covered branches shaken free of snow, the tarp Danny was on would serve to cover it and he'd lash his partner onto it under blankets and a final tarp to keep him dry. Loading him on, that would be the problem. Steve set to work digging a ramp of sorts; the chute, at it's deepest, put the sled at ground level, and gradually sloped upwards. Steve planned to slide Danny on from next to the ramp, then pull the sled up through the chute. He used a final coil of rope he'd saved to fashion a small harness, that would allow him to tie himself into the sled and drag it that way.

"Grace, I need some help. We're going to slide Danno onto the sled, okay? You take one end of the tarp and I'll take the other, we'll slide on three?"

"Okay."

He counted down and they made the transition, Danny sliding onto the sled without a sound. Steve held his breath, but the sled held. Test two, now. He ties the 'harness' t himself, attached the other end to himself, and pulled.

It took Steve another half hour to repack everything, orient himself and get ready for the journey to where he hoped the cave lay. By the time they were ready to head off, Grace, having had the plan explained to her, Steve's stomach was steadily burning, but he didn't have time to deal with it. That would come later. He checked the map one last time, and Danny behind, Grace by his side, they walked.

 **January 19th, 3:00 pm. Clearing East of Jenkins Road, Wharton State Forest**

The journey took most of the day, and dusk was beginning to set in by the time they reached a clearing Steve knew was right near the road. He checked the time; it was already 3 o'clock and the likelihood of a car coming past was getting lower the longer they waited. He unstrapped himself from the sled, glad to see Danny still rested uneasily.

"Stay with Danno Grace."

He didn't wait for an answer before getting to work on a fire. It didn't take long; the foresight to bring dry wood with them had served well and he had a lightly crackling blaze in minutes.

A shelter was next, they would likely spend at least another night. He quickly found a downed tree and set to work on a basic lean-to shelter, insulating it with branches shaken free of as much snow as possible crossed atop the tarp he'd laid. A groundsheet went down atop as many pine needles as he could gather. It wasn't much, but it would at least keep Grace and Danny warm and safe overnight.

He could feel his strength waning further, knew that if he didn't move to the road he never would. He walked back to Grace.

"I'm gonna take Danno to the shelter. Then I need to head t'the road, 'kay?" the words were becoming harder to summon and the short trip to take Danny from fire to shelter felt farther than the day's journey. Once he was sure Danny was as warm and sheltered as he could make him, he pressed chapped lips so his forehead and ducked back out.

"Stay by the fire, 'kay Grace? Check on D'nno, but keep yourself warm a'right?" He tried to control the slur slipping into his voice so as not to scare her. "And if ya get tired 'fore I come back, curl up as closes to him as you can."

"I'm scared Uncle Steve."

It was the first such admission from her since Danny had gotten hurt and Steve felt his heart break into small pieces. He pulled her close, mindless of the pain that shot through his stomach.

"T's gonna to be okay now Grace. Love ya."

She pulled back, a brave mask in place. "I love you too." Steve stumbled towards where he knew the road to be, forcing himself not to look back. 

**January 19th, 6:30 pm. Jenkins Road, Border of Wharton State Forest.**

When he first saw the light come around the corner, Steve thought he was imagining. He'd been seeing lights for the last hour, hearing sounds for the last two. But from his position slumped against the tree trunk, he couldn't deny it was a car any longer as the lights became brighter and the roar of an American engine clear. He lurched upwards, feet slipping in the heavy snow as he stumbled towards the middle of the road.

"Hey." He tried to yell but it was a pitiful, crackling croak that was expelled. He raised his arms and waved frantically, drawing in breath to try again.

"Hey!" The car slowed on its' approach and Steve broke off into a cough, stumbling back out of the car's path as breath was ripped from his lungs. The squeak of brakes signalled the car had stopped, and a window was rolled down.

"Sir, Sir are you okay?" Steve looked up, seeing through blurry vision a man in his late fifties- not dissimilar in appearance to Danny's father.

"Help, partner and his little girl." He broke off, wheezing. "Bear, few days ago, he's hurt."

"Shit. Okay, sir, we can help you. Hold on a second." The car was shut off and the driver climbed out with another man around his age. "My name's Jerry," he indicated the man next to him, "S' my buddy Clive. Can you tell us your name?" As he'd gotten closer to Steve his voice had quietened, a hand coming to rest on Steve's unsteady shoulder.

"Steve. M'names Steve. We gotta go get Gracie and Danno, come on."

"Woah there, bud. You aren't going anywhere. You're going to stay here with Clive and I'm going to get you pal and his girl."

Through the haze of pain and exhaustion and cold, anger ignited. "My name is 'tenant Command'r Stev'n McGarr't. Danno's my fian, fince," he stumbled over the word. "We're gett'n married. I'm comin with ya."

The two me in front of Steve traded a look he couldn't decipher.

"Alright Commander." Jerry took his arm off Steve's shoulder, slipped it under it instead until he was taking some of his weight; Clive did the same on the other side. "You show us where to go."

* * *

It took less than five minutes for the three men to reach the makeshift camp- it took Steve only a second to realise Grace wasn't where he'd left her by the fire.

"Grace!" Steve called, voice hoarse as he pulled away from the two men supporting him. "Grace!" The young girl came shooting out from the makeshift shelter Danny rested under, a magnet drawn straight towards him.

He pulled her close, letting himself soak up her warmth for a second. Jerry crouched next to them.

"Hi, Sweetheart. Is your name Grace?" He asked as if it had not just been shouted across the cleaning. She nodded. "Alright. My name is Jerry, and this is my friend Clive. Steve here tells us your Daddy is hurt. We're going to help you alright?" She nodded, head peeking out from Steve's jacket.

Steve was on the move again, heading for the shelter Grace had emerged from. He fell to his knees with a huff of air. He rested a gentle palm on Danny's head, glad he still couldn't feel heat.

"Danno. Wake up D'nno."

Blue eyes fluttered open, and Steve's closed in relief.

* * *

Jerry Conrad had not planned to spend his night forging through snow-covered woods, yet there he was. When he'd see the clearly injured man stumble in front of his car, he wasn't sure what to expect, but it certainly hadn't been an army man with a family injured in the woods. Steve, or Lieutenant Commander Steven McGarrett, as Jerry had deciphered from slurred speech, was clearly injured himself; he hunched over at the waist and the brief contact Jerry had had with what should have been icy skin burned with the fire of a steady fever. Finding the young girl in the woods made Jerry realise just how bad things were; she looked unharmed and Steve didn't seem like the type to leave a man behind so there must have been a good reason for him to leave his friend (fiancé, Jerry remembered), behind.

As Steve stumbled towards the small lean-to shelter, young Grace stood alone, clearly scared. Jerry turned to Clive. They'd known each other for some forty years and there were few people Jerry trusted more. "Take care of her, I'm going to check on the partner. Must be pretty injured if that guy didn't carry him out." Clive nodded, moving to comfort the young girl. Clive followed Steve, dropping to his knees at some kind of sled, upon which rested a blonde man, pale but awake if the foggy eyes were anything to go by.

Steve appeared semi-conscious, swaying gently with eyes closed where he knelt. Jerry moved cold fingers to the blonde's neck and felt for a pulse.

"Hey mate, can you hear me? I'm here to help you out. Can you tell me your name and where you are?"

The man blinked a few times. "Thank god." He licked his lips. "Name's Danny Williams."

"Alright, Danny. Your friend Steve gave us a few details, something about a bear? Can you tell me where you're hurt?"

"Think I was concussed, everything's pretty fuzzy. Lotta pain near my leg, Steve hasn't let me see but I think it's broken. Sorry, he's kept me out most of the time, that's really all I know."

"No Danny, that's real good. I'm going to have a look at your leg okay?"

The man nodded, obviously in pain. Jerry drew the blankets back from Danny's legs and immediately saw why. Though splinted, there was what was clearly a broken leg; it wasn't open but in the snow, with minimal supplies, it definitely wouldn't be comfortable. Jerry looked over the injury, then moved to check the head injury Danny had mentioned. He knew one thing for sure: whatever state Commander McGarrett may be in, he was definitely a man who knew what he was doing, Jerry certainly couldn't do any better. He drew the blankets back up, noticing for the first time that the pallet Danny lay on seemed to be some kind of sled. He was left wondering just how far the small family, for that surely was what they were, had travelled.

"Alright Danny, let me have a chat with my friend and I'll get back here, okay?" Danny nodded, Steve seemingly tracking somewhat as he too moved his head in the affirmative.

Jerry stood slowly, brushed the snow off his soaked jeans as old joints creaked. Clive seemed to be sitting on a log by the fire with Grace, who, he was glad to see, had a soft smile on her face. It made Jerry just how young she was, and more determined to get her guardians to safety. He made eye contact with the other man, beckoning him over. Clive said something to Grace who nodded and came to stand by him.

"Grace's father Danny has a broken leg and a concussion, heart rate is pretty fast and he has a moderate fever." Clive nodded along. "We aren't going to get all of them out at once. Danny'll need the whole back bench of the ute, and we'll only get on other in the cab with us. I say we take Steve and the kid, you wait here with Danny and I'll send an ambulance as soon as I get signal. But I think Steve needs help, he didn't look or sound good the whole time since we met him." Jerry chanced a glance over his shoulder. Said man was running a hand over Danny's head, soundless words coming from slowly moving lips. Grace had moved from her spot by the fire and was sitting with them, tucked into Steve's side with a hand clasped in Danny's. Despite the situation, it wasn't hard to see the love between them. Jerry had never been political, kept his nose out of other's business but for the first time ever, he knew for certain he would vote for gay marriage. Folks that loved each other that much shouldn't be kept apart.

"Sounds good. I'll stay, you take him." The two men moved to the shelter, Jerry crouching down once more.

"Steve, Danny, Grace? We can't take all of you at once. We'll take Steve and Grace and call for an ambulance as soon as we get a signal, Clive will wait with you, Danny."

Danny and Grace nodded. Steve did not. Instantly, the brunette shot up, lethargy gone, mania in the exhausted eyes.

"Danny goes."

"Steve, you need to get out of here first, Danny can wait for-" Steve wobbled forward, coming right into Jerry's face and he could suddenly see the military in the formerly quiet man.

"Danny. Goes. First."

"Steve, you need to be in a hospital. You asked us for help and we are trying to give it to you."

Steve's face didn't change, and Jerry was worried the agitation was doing him more harm than the good getting to a hospital twenty-minute earlier would. He looked once more to Clive, who seemed to be thinking along a similar line to him.

"Alright. We'll all go up to the road, I'll take Grace and Danny, you'll wait here with Clive, okay?" Steve seemed to consider the proposal for a second, before nodding, standing once more. He began hooking himself to a sort of harness, it took Jerry a minute to figure out what it was.

"No, Steve. If we take Danny first, you aren't dragging the sled." Steve looked as if he wanted to argue, but his earlier outburst had clearly sapped his already depleted energy and he simply nodded, with resign (but strapped Jerry in himself, not allowing the other man to do it for himself).

By the time the quintet reached the road, Jerry was even less sure of his decision to take Danny first than he'd been when he had initially conceded. Steve's wheezing, which had been bad quiet when they'd first met, now monopolized the atmosphere, each breath punctuating the air with a loud, deadly cloud. He took his time to load Danny into the truck, strapped in with the three lap-belts and covered in dry blankets from under the seats. He settled Grace into the cab-seat, took spare blankets to Clive who was propped on the side of the road with Steve, who had all but collapsed when they arrived. The two coherent men worked to tuck the blankets around a barely responsive once, but any time either mentioned taking Steve first he became combative.

When no more could be done, Jerry stood, leaving the two men cuddled in each other's boy heat.

"I'll send help as soon as I can." Clive nodded, and Jerry got into the cab, turning the engine over. He could hear Steve's wheezing long after he'd left the men in the distance.


	6. Chapter 6

I am a terrible author. I'm so sorry, my brother has been in hospital and finding writing time was just impossible. I'm giving this tiny chapter, I've split the last chapter into a short art (here) and a longer part (to be posted tomorrow).  
Sorry guys, I hope you like it.  
Rose

* * *

 **January 19th, 8:55 pm. Jenkins Road, Border of Wharton State Forest.**  
Jerry held the man to his chest, feeling each wheezing breath and bone rattling shiver as the came through, richoched onto his own body. Sometime after Clive had left, despite his best efforts, Steve had passed out, the only sign of life now the rattling in his chest as he desperately forced breath in and out of his lungs. Jerry pulled him closer, attempting to shield the both of them from the elements. Off in the distance, he saw a flash. He blinked, and once more saw it. As seconds past, the light got closer and he could see they were red and blue, flashing alternatively so fast there was never pause. Relief as much as could be felt when you had a halfway-dead man slumped against you flooded through him as finally, finally the ambulance pulled up beside them. Two people jumped out, dressed in thick turn-out gear that appeared much warmer than the jeans and fleece Clive was wearing, or indeed the tattered snow jacket and cargos his charge donned.  
"Sir? Are you inured?" The first paramedic, a black man with kind eyes in his forties, knelt next to them.  
"No I'm fine. This I Steve. we were driving past when we found him, his partner and a little girl were taken to hospital. His breathing has been pretty bad, and I think he's hurt. He said something earlier about a bear, but he's not been very with it and I didn't get anything else."  
The paramedic nodded, already feeling for Steve's pulse and knuckling alone the man's sternum.  
"Steve? My name is Joseph I'm a paramedic and I'm here to help you. Can you hear me? Can you open your eyes for me Steve?" The second paramedic, a red headed woman much younger than her partner crouched beside them, a large ag strung over her shoulder.  
Joseph moved his hands to Steve's. "Steve can you squeeze my hands for me Steve?" The look on his face told Jerry there had been no response. Joseph pulled out a pen light, gently peeling Steve's frosty eyelids open and flashing the light in.

After several other checks, Joseph rocked back onto his haunches, facing the young woman watching intently. "Alright Sash, he's non-response and verging on hypothermia. Doesn't look like he's concussed but I don't like the sound his chest is making. We'll get him loaded then I'll have a look at the injury, we need to get him warm first." She nodded, hair luminous by the still flashing lights and the handheld floodlight she held aloft. She straightened and pulled a stretcher to ground level, a backboard with it. With practiced ease the two of them moved Steve and within minutes, Jerry sat at his side as "Sash" pulled away, lights still flashing. Within the heat of the ambulance, he watched as Joseph began cutting away at Steve's jacket, revealing what Jerry knew to be the source of the large man's pain. A gash gaped across his stomach. It was the sort of thing that would have been innocent enough, patched up and treated with a course of antibiotics. But clearly the time since the injury had not been easy and the edges were red and pulled taught, a mixture of blood and pus oozing sickeningly forth.  
Joseph placed an oxygen mask and established an IV, fiddled with other monitors and mediation Jerry knew not of. He could, however, read the heartrate that was displayed. The ambulance swayed with the gradient of the road, and Jerry watched as the beeps came slower and slower.

* * *

They pulled up at Jefferson Washington nearly forty minutes later, and in that time the strange man on the side of the road that Jerry had found himself caring for, had slowly deteriorated. Steve's breaths were less regular, each stuttering breath making his chest rise shakily up and down. The doors to the back of the ambulance were opened, Joseph moving to pull the stretcher through the emergency doors. He came back minutes later, resting a weary hand on Jerry's shoulder.  
"The waiting room is through there. Good luck sir."

* * *

 **January 20th, 12:30 pm. Jefferson Washington Hospital, New Jersey.**

Danny knew there was something he should have been remembering. Something important. However, there was a large and running through his hair and a small body beside him. Steve and Grace were there, so he couldn't really be bothered trying to remember. Minutes passed, and slowly, despite his best attempt, things came into focus. There was an uncomfortable weight between his legs, a dull ache on one of them too, pounding distantly in time with his head. Finally, he could hear beeping. Hospital, his mind supplied. He was in a hospital. Chancer were Steve and Grace were worried then; it would probably do good to wake up. He shifted slightly, feeling as the hand on his head tensed. He cracked his lips, tongue swiping out trying to dampen them. Eyes peeled apart grittily, and he was blinded by light.  
"St'v?" There's a strangled sob on his left, and the hand in his hair is swiftly removed. He blinked, trying to clear the dots in his vision and suddenly there is a man hovering above him. It takes a few seconds for him to work out it isn't Steve. It's his father.  
"Dad?"  
His father smiles, and Danny notices that his eyes are watering.  
"Hi buddy. How're you feeling?"  
"Sore. Where's Steve?" is voice is dry and cracking, and his mother, who has tear running unchecked, passes his father a cup, from which the older Williams spoons ice chips into his son's mouth. They melt slowly, ringing glorious relief, but Danny is acutely aware that no one has answered his question.  
"Is he getting coffee? Or he's at the bathroom?" There's a niggling feeling that tells him Steve is not doing either of those things.  
"Danny, do you remember what happened?" Danny realises that Grace has awoken at his side, looking up with large eyes. Eyes that are dark with the weight of the past five days and with a rush, Danny does remember; remembers the hike, the bear. Pain in his head, his leg. The horrible coughing from Steve, the miles in the snow. And now Steve's not here. He shoots up, nearly dislodging a surprised Grace. He looks at his daughter, noting for the first time the clean sweatpants and sweatshirt, the latter of which riding up at one writ to show a hospital band.  
"Gracie are you alright sweetheart?" She nods, burying herself in his chest with silent tears. Danny looks over her shoulder to his too-silent parents, questions in his eyes.  
"She's fine darling." His mother has moved closer, resting her hand on his shoulder. They admitted when she came in, just for a few hours to get fluids in and warm her up, make sure there wasn't any damage. She's fine Danny." He breathes in his daughter smelling smoke and the woods, feeling grease in her hair and life in her limbs. She pulls back, seeing his wince as she does so and allowing Clara to pick her up and settle her on his hip, though she should have been much too old.  
"I'll leave you to speak to our son, Ed. Grace and I will go and grab some hot chocolate." They leave the room and Danny is left with his father and unanswered questions.

"Dad, where's Steve."  
The sigh from his father adds years onto his face. "I don't know how much you remember Danny. We got a call in the middle of the night. We'd been worried sick when you weren't back, called the rangers and had the searching for you. And then we get a call from some bloke named Clive. Said he'd found Steve on the side of the road, half delirious and asking for help. He insisted they take you to the hospital first and Grace went with you. Docs have said you were lucky. Broken leg, but Steve set it and it's already healing. Concussion that'll give you a little grief for the next coupla' weeks and shock, bitta hypothermia setting in. They cleaned you up, got you warm and you've been sleeping since. We rushed down here when Clive called, and he said there wasn't enough room in his truck and he'd had to leave Steve with his mate. He came in in an ambulance late last night. It isn't good Danny."  
The roundabout way his father was telling him was indicative of that in itself.

"He got cut up at some stage, big infected gash on his stomach, sepsis was setting in and he'd lost a bit of blood. The problem is his lungs, though. He must have had dormant pneumonia, they reckon and the exhaustion and exposure meant he couldn't fight it off anymore. It's pretty advanced, double lung. He's in the ICU now. He had surgery to clean his stomach but his fever's up from the infection and the pneumonia. His breathing's pretty bad." Eddie's face fell further, bringing his hand back to his son's hair. "I'm so sorry Danny."  
A pause. "But he'll be fine, right? I mean, it's Steve."  
"I…I can't lie to you Dan. They don't think he's going to pull through. The infection and the pneumonia, they don't think he's going to be able to fight it off. He doesn't have the energy. They spoke to us earlier and they recommend we just focus on making him comfortable right now.

* * *

Sorry for another cliffie! I've been so grateful for the reviews so please keep it up.


	7. Chapter 7

Hi Everyone,  
Glad most of you liked the last chapter, appreciated he positive reviews and well-wishers. This is quite short, more of an epilogue but I hope you like it. I wanted to clarify something before we begin though:

My stories do not all take place in the same universe. For example, Steve is not diabetic in any stories other than those part of the Low series. He is not constantly injured and dying, they are all written as standalone stories in universes where every other story has never and will never occur. They are separate universes unless otherwise specified.

Finally, a lot of my writing are Steve whump. I get that. It is what I enjoy reading. Therefore, it is what I primarily write. I respect it is not everyone's cup of tea. If it's not yours, move on.

Sorry for the negativity. I had said I wouldn't be one of those authors that rants, but I just wanted to say my piece. To those of you still enjoying this story, please, read on!  
Rose xx

* * *

 **January 20th, 4:30 pm. Jefferson Washington Hospital, New Jersey.**

Danny had finally convinced the hospital staff he could be discharged, on the basis he kept off his casted leg and didn't strain himself. He'd spoken with Grace, reassured himself she was really okay. Then he'd wheeled himself into Steve's room. The man looked worse in person that his father's description had prepared him for. Danny's memories of the past five days had slowly come back. Steve was white than the snow they had spent endless days in. each breath was raspy and wet, muffled under the large oxygen mask strapped across Steve's nose and mouth; it forced air in rather than the traditional passive ones, but nothing seems to be making any impact on the blue tint of Steve's lips and fingers. Sweat beaded along his face and his eyes were sunken into his face. Danny slumped into his chair, gripping Steve's cold hand between two of his own. He griped tight, and for the fist time in many years, he prayed.

 **January 23rd, 9 pm. Jefferson Washington Hospital, New Jersey.  
** Danny had been by Steve's bedside for more than three days with no change. The nurses had assured him Steve was in no pain, but no amount of morphine could soothe the paint that was slowly takin residence in Dany's heart. Because for once, there seemed to be no miracle. Steve's fever wasn't dropping. His breathing wasn't easing. He was losing weight as Danny slowly lost hope. Visiting hours were long over, but Danny had alternated between flashing his law-enforcement badge and his engagement ring; a mix of respect and sympathy had earnt him a pass to stay overnight as long as he made sure to sleep at least a portion of it. His head bobbed to his chest repeatedly as he fought sleep, but final, exhausted and still himself recovering, he gave himself over to the sandman's gentle hold.

Something woke Danny; he wasn't sure if seconds or hours had past. He turned to Steve, and suddenly realised what it was that had woken him. A man hovered over Steve, gentle hands on his head. Danny knew he should have been worried about a strange man' presence, but there was something familiar about the square jaw and dark blonde hair. The man leant down, bringing his face to Steve's ear. Danny drifted off.

* * *

When he awoke the following morning, Danny was sure he had dreamt of the strange figure in their room the night before. A noise interrupted his recollection of the 'dream', however, and he turned to see a nurse at the foot off the bed. She was gaping at the monitors, blinking rapidly. Danny's heartrate shot up, and he was alert in an instant.  
"What's wrong?" he asked, for nothing seemed it. There was not frantic beeping, no convulsions, no blood.  
"I need to go get his doctor."  
"Dammit tell me what's going on!" Had his leg not been I ac cast, Danny would have stood and shook the woman. As it as, the fury in his voice seemed enough.  
"His, his fevers gone down. And his oxygen saturation is up. He's, well, it looks like he's getting better." She hurried out of the room.

When Steve's attending returned not five minutes later, she confirmed what the nurse had said. Steves fever was indeed down, by a full 2 degrees. He was breathing better. A blood test showed his white cell count was up. Dany griped Steve's hand tighter, thinking back to his prayer. Thinking back to the figure over Steve's bed and allowing himself to believe, if only for a second, maybe he'd been given his miracle.

* * *

Days later, Steve blinked his eyes open, looking around groggy and confused. His eyes landed on Danny, instantly brightening.  
"Hey babe." Danny tried to keep the tears out of his voice. "How you feeling?"  
"Tired. Danny, guess what?" There was childlike wonder in his tone, and Danny tried not to laugh  
"What sweetheart?"  
"I saw ma' dad. He told me you were sad and I needed to get better so you wouldn't be sad. I got better dany. Now you aren't sad anymore." Steve's eyes slipped closed once more, breathing evenly. Danny smiled to the blank face, thinking back to the form over Steve nights ago.  
"That's right Steve. I'm not sad anymore.

* * *

 **February 2nd, 4:00 pm. William's Residence, New Jersey.  
** The fire crackled merrily. Danny's leg stretched out in front of him, the cast now covered in various pictures drawn by grace; the beach was heavy featured, as were herself, Steve and Danny. His favourite picture was near his calf, though. It showed Steve, a cape around his neck, fighting off a bear.

Said man lay with his head on Danny's shoulder, dozing as the pair basked in the heat of the fire. He'd been released a nearly five days before, stable enough to go home, but it would be another few weeks before he would be cleared to travel back to Hawaii. He was exhausted constantly, the smallest movements taking it out of him. He struggled to gain the weigh he'd lost, grimaced when movements pulled at his healing stomach. But he was alive. Steve had survived. Danny would take all the exhaustion in the world If it meant his fiancé was alive. Danny reached over, brushing a strand of hair from Steve's face. The man needed a haircut; usually military-regulation-short hair was getting scruffy and long. Abandoned on the coffee able upon-which Danny's leg rested, was a folder. If one was to look closely, they'd see various tuxedos, flower arrangements (courtesy of Mrs Williams), locations, dates and wedding invite drafts. Danny ran his hand back through Steve's hair, relishing in the feel of warm, alive flesh beneath his fingers, the gentle rise and fall he could feel in Steve's chest. Soon, they would be married. Till death do us part and all that. Though, Danny mused, feeling himself beginning to follow Steve to dreamland, with McGarrett, death was never far off. He supposed he'd just have to make the most of whatever time he had.

* * *

I seriously considered killing off Steve after having several people tell me I was unrealistic for him to survive- I wrote the scene and everything. And then I remembered. This is fiction, I can do whatever the hell I want. So fluff it was. After all, writing is about elf expression, not necessarily medical accuracy. Thanks for the journey so far. I am heading off to Europe in a few hours, which is amazing! I will be gone for three weeks. There may be a oneshot in that time but I'm not sure yet. Finally, I do take requests! If you have anything you would like written, send it through and I'll have a crack!

Thanks so much for the support with this!  
Until next time,  
Rose


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